Clint Loveland and his 2005 V-Rod Soul Keeper

I was admiring the entries in the Saturday morning motorcycle show during Oklahoma Bike Week’s second weekend at Sparks America Campground when I came to a truly outstanding entry. It was a Harley-Davidson V-Rod with a unique paint scheme. I was photographing it from every possible angle when the owner, Clint Loveland, came along and shared the story of the motorcycle with me. He knew that, being a photographer, the information would be of special interest to me. After hearing the tale, I knew I wanted to share it with Cycle Connections’ readers.

Clint is a professional photographer who owns Photo by Clint Photography based in Ozark, Missouri, in the Springfield area where he was born and grew up. He found his 2005 V-Rod at a garage sale in 2007. It was stock with factory blue paint when he bought it from its first owner. A couple of years later, Clint was considering a custom paint job for his ride but had not found the right painter. At an autofest event in Springfield, Clint was working a booth he had rented to sell photos. During a break he went for a walk and encountered an airbrush artist who was also working at the event. As it turned out, Nathan Curry of Curry’s Hot Rods in Nixa, Missouri, was looking for a photographer. In no time, a deal was struck whereby Clint would get his V-Rod painted in exchange for photographic work and the use of Clint’s models to produce a calendar showcasing Nathan’s airbrush art on motorcycles. Both Nathan and Clint are masters of the dark arts, a common interest that contributed to their collaboration on the paint scheme.

The whole theme of the paint job is done with the evil photographer in mind. On the air box cover, the Grim Reaper holds a camera that is sucking in souls from the zombies and models held captive in chains. On the front fender, a zombie crawls from a grave with “Photo by Clint” on the headstone. “PBC” and 'Curry’s Hot Rods' appear on crosses and tombstones in various places on the bike. The rear fender features film strips on each side, one side showing a model morphing slide-by-slide into a zombie and the other displaying a series of evil clowns. The tail depicts Satan tearing his way out surrounded by polaroids with the images emerging and reaching out. The entire paint scheme is extremely detailed.

Besides the custom paint, Clint added CFR exhaust, an aftermarket chip, and an l.e.d. tail light. Progressive suspension is lowered an inch at the rear. Many of the stock parts were powder coated in black. Pegs, levers, horn cover, and headlight cover all received special attention. Solid wheels in black look great on this bike! I wasn't a bit surprised when Soul Keeper won first place in the American Custom class at Sparks America.

Clint introduced me to his beautiful girlfriend, Rose. His helmet and hers are painted in accordance with the same theme as the V-Rod. The Reaper and his camera make another appearance on Clint’s lid alongside Clint’s tombstone. Rose’s features a woman screaming bloody murder and the feet of a cadaver with “Freak” on the toe tag. Rose also has a “Freak” tattoo on the inside of her lower lip. She is, appropriately enough, a mortician and also does frequent modeling for Clint’s studio. I was not surprised to learn that Clint’s taste in photography ranges from sexy to macabre. His work can be viewed on Facebook or under 'Clint Loveland' on Google Images.

If you should happen to encounter this motorcycle, caution is advised. Don’t stare too intently at the remarkable murals, and don’t stand too close, especially if it’s dark and you are alone. You might just feel your soul being sucked into the Reaper's camera!